I was first introduced to Mother Earth News magazine as a twenty-three year old traveler housesitting a little country home in the mountains of Costa Rica. It was the only reading material in English, so I took a break from my Spanish studies every day to devour the articles. The houses were perfect, the farms were clean, the people were smiling and skilled. The magazine gave the impression that anybody could live off-grid, and that you could do it very easy and very well. A simple solar system with a simple hot water system with a simple battery bank system in a simple house in the country… Ha! No problem…

Think again!

It’s not that simple… or that affordable!

What the magazine didn’t show was the constant chaos in an off-grid, first generation family farm where kids and babies are like tiny wolf cubs running wild in the forest of their home. Babies need mom, big kids need dad, mom needs dad, and dad needs mom. The 8 batteries that we have in our battery bank each cost around $280, and we have to buy new ones next year that cost more. A new generator runs $1,300, a solar panel array worth installing will run somewhere between 3-7k. (And you’ll barely get solar power in the winter!) Our bathtub drain is currently frozen so we can’t bathe or do laundry in the tub, our sheetrock isn’t mud and taped so cold air seeps through and it looks tacky, our floor is ice cold, our generator works when it wants to, it’s -9 outside and nobody wants to go, our kitchen is a hallway that barely fits one, our doors don’t have tight seals where cold air comes in, and on and on goes the imperfections…

The Mother Earth News articles that I read did not represent the first generation farmers with small children who are busting their butts while learning along the way. They don’t represent the struggles of off-grid life, country life, and farming for young entrepreneurs. No, everything looked perfect and easy.

But it’s not, by God, it’s not easy. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

When I queried Mother Earth News about a potential column for their magazine in regards to these topics, they rejected my request. They wanted articles written by professionals for professionals. I couldn’t argue with them, I am not a professional. But I am striving to be one.

We hope you have a great week, y’all. No matter how clean or messy it looks.
Thanks for the support,

The Stark Family
Secret Garden Alaska

P.S. Now that the twins have started eating real food and the big girls are eating like full grown adults, we decided to up our advertising, marketing, and promotion game. The same blurb will be at the bottom of each blog to bring you on the Stark Valley Tour in support of your favorite family. Don’t hesitate to jump on the Secret Garden Alaska trolley and take a ride!

Take the Stark Valley Tour for the full experience of what we are up to. Head over to our website and visit the gift shop. When you are finished buying things, subscribe to our monthly newsletter for $1/a month (less than a candy bar) at Stark Raving Mad. Afterwards, visit our YouTube channel and click subscribe to join 1,100 other subscribers. We will be putting out new products for the gift shop and new videos for the YouTube channel ASAP, so check-in regularly. To wrap up the Stark Valley Tour, head to Robert’s Amazon author page and Goodreads Author page to become “followers”. Then leave a review for both books on both platforms. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE! When you are done with the Stark Valley Tour, pat yourself on the back for supporting a family of independent artists and first generation farmers. Thank you again for the generous donations, subscriptions, and support- it makes a difference!